Holy smokes it's a week until Christmas! Let the bells ring etc and so forth (and make sure to check out my gift guide for any last-minute present ideas). Isaac and I, like you I'm sure, are hitting up a whole bunch of holiday parties this weekend, so here's to getting down to this while drinking one of these. Also you guys, let's take it slow in the moments between the festivities. The holidays are, no doubt, such a beautiful time, but all that onus on family and togetherness can get a little hectic, not to mention a touch heartsore for those who might be missing someone this Christmas or who find themselves far from home (raises hand forlornly). For me, this shall be remedied by super long pre-going out bath tub sessions, walks around the park to catch the last of the leaves before they wave us off to deepest Winter and some good deep thinking about what I'd like 2016 to bring to me and me to it. More on that next week. My usual link roundup below.

I'm Alexandra King-Lyles, a journalist and writer living on a tree-lined street in Park Slope, Brooklyn with my husband Isaac and two black cats. I moved to New York from London in 2009, thinking I would only stay for nine months. Seven years later, I'm still here. On The Street Where I Live, you'll find real talk about relationships, careers, interiors, books and fashion as well as snapshots and personal stories from a blissfully imperfect life. Welcome, I'm so glad you're here.